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Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

(OP)
Does anyone have any documentation they would be willing to share on how their file system is set up and how engineers are required to handle SWorks parts creation?  We are migrating over from ACAD 2D and we are looking for ideas on file structure, etc...

Thanks,

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

Make sure you create a paper file system, if you really do not want to use PDM. Every released drawing would be printed and stored.
I could not imagine life again without PDM. We had to do it before PDM while using SolidWorks. Everyone hated everyone else in those days.

Bradley
SolidWorks Premim 2007 x64 SP3.1
PDM Works, Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

Building on Bradley's suggestion...
If you'd rather not store paper files... Make PDF's of each revision & file those electronically.

If you should decide to step-up to a PDM... seriously consider the Enterprise solution. Just using PDMWorks is only a small step in the right direction.

I'm implementing PDMWorks & I still can't get the revisions to work the way I want them.


Windows XP / Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 5000 / SolidWorks 2007 SP2.2 / SpaceBall 5000 / Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com
Jack L. Tate says: "Right-click... It's friggin' magic!"


FAQ376

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

(OP)
This is why we are not going with PDM as of yet.  We are an OEM equipment manufacturer.  We build a machine and never really duplicate the product because of each customers individual needs.  We sell a machine and it gets a work order attached to it.  We then create a WO folder on the server and all documentation related to that machine gets stored there.  All electrical, mechanical, software, sales info, etc. etc. etc.  So everyone here is accustomed to going to this certain folder to find everything they need.  I'm not sure how we could replicate that with PDM.

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

You build custom machime assemblies... but how many of your parts (not off-the-shelf items like nuts, bolts, chains, bearings, etc...) are used on more than one project? If there are a signifigant number of "standard" parts like this... then you could make use of a PDM.


Windows XP / Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 5000 / SolidWorks 2007 SP2.2 / SpaceBall 5000 / Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com
Jack L. Tate says: "Right-click... It's friggin' magic!"


FAQ376

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

rjason71,
To make use of a vault, you would attach all electrical, mechanical, software, sales info, and etc. to the top level drawing within the vault. Each user not using SolidWorks would have a standalone seat. The beauty of this is that no one, I mean no one could change anything without taking ownership and checking it back into the vault.
You can also make a project folder of each custom machine you build. Let’s say you have a name plate that has your phone number on it. Now the area code changes (ours did once). You would go to one place, the PDM, change the plate and all drawings would update. You would not need to go to 64 different windows folders to change the 64 drawings of the same drawing.

Bradley
SolidWorks Premim 2007 x64 SP3.1
PDM Works, Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

rjason71,

Our company does something similar, although it's not quite the same situation.  All released documents are located on our  network and everyone just "knows" where to look.  Yeah, right.  Way too big a potential source for error, IMO.  We are currently investigating solutions, one of which is called eDrawer.

www.edrawer.com

This is essentially a replacement for a windows directory structure with some PDM-like functionality.  Pricing is reasonable as well.  I'm not endorsing this product, but I at least think it's worth a look.

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

dgowans,
Thanks for the website www.edrawer.com
I have sent this off to my boss, he is looking for away to track ECN. A star for you.

Bradley
SolidWorks Premim 2007 x64 SP3.1
PDM Works, Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

Bradley,

I'll be interested to hear your opinion of eDrawer.  My thoughts for implementation here would be that this would be the one place that anyone in the company would look for documents but would certainly not be a replacement for things like PDMWorks (we use it in our product development group for mechanical stuff), SourceSave (similar to PDMWorks but for software) or our MRP system.

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

dgowans,
I watched the 5 minute demo. Which looked like it could be used for tracking ECN’s from the originator to the released documentation room. This would be used only by one person to replace a paper system, which is basically an in basket. I would not be the one doing this; my boss would be looking into it. On the cheap, most people would use excel. Once, one gets started with an excel file finding things gets to be tough.

Bradley
SolidWorks Premim 2007 x64 SP3.1
PDM Works, Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

(OP)
Has anyone received price quotes for the Edrawer software?

RE: Company Standards for Filing System - Non PDM

  We use 5 digit numbers for files.  All SW files are saved in folders that match the range of filenames stored.  For example, part file 12345.sldprt or assembly.12346 is saved in folder DRIVE:\SOLIDWORK\SW 12300-12399.  The drawing 12345.slddrw is saved in the same folder. 100 numbers are stored in each folder, athough, this could be more or less.
  We get our numbers from a running network list, the numbers are non significant.  We also PDF our drawings to a folder on the shared network drive.  This provides stable, rapid opening files that anyone on our network can access.  The SolidWorks files are on a drive accessable only to engineering.  We also save our revision history by way of these PDF's.  The PDF'd drawing will be named 12345.PDF, saved in numbered PDF folders, just like the SW files.  Older revisions of PDF drawings are moved to an archive folder within that PDF drawing folder, so that at any time the most current rev. is in your face, and the older, noncurrent rev's are easily found for review of revision history. Newer rev. would be named 12345REV A.PDF and so on.
 Dxf's of part profiles are saved as, yep, you guessed it, 12345.dxf in a numbered folder structure.  
  This setup allows us to save files in a predictable place, create hyperlinks to files by macros or code, find files easily as soon as a drawing number is given etc.
  One area that we maintain to find files or projects when we don't know a drawing/file number is the adding of shortcuts in project files etc.
  This system works very well for us with 5 user's, without PDM.
  The best advice I can give in general, is plan a structure for your files, and test how it works.  Do not start naming things on the fly, and saving things all over, especially on a network, with multiusers.  The problems that develope in assemblies and drawings have to be seen to be believed.  Good Luck
 

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